Transformational leadership and knowledge-sharing intention among sales employees in Vietnamese enterprises

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of transformational leadership and affective commitment on the knowledge-sharing intention among sales employees in enterprises in Hanoi. Using online structured questionnaires, data was gathered from 318 voluntary respondents employed as salespersons or in sales departments in enterprises based in Hanoi, Vietnam. The collected data was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with the support of Smart PLS 4 to assess the measurement and structural model and examine the proposed hypotheses. The research findings revealed positive associations between transformational leadership, affective commitment, and employees’ willingness to share knowledge. In particular, transformational leadership explained 56% and 40.5% of the variance in affective commitment and knowledge-sharing intention, respectively. Furthermore, the study emphasized the mediating role of affective commitment in the favorable effects of transformational leadership on employees’ knowledge-sharing intention. The research findings offer practical recommendations for corporate leaders and managers to adopt the transformational leadership style and promote affective commitment among employees to foster knowledge sharing among colleagues.